Factory build sheet

2018 Chevrolet Sonic LT

Build 1G1JC5SB-J · 1.4L 4cyl · Front-wheel drive · Sedan

VIN positions 1 through 8 read 1G1JC5SB and position 10 reads J. Those nine characters define this build. Position 9 and positions 11 through 17 differ on every car.

Every Sonic whose VIN starts 1G1JC5SB and carries J in position 10 left the plant with the same engine, transmission, drivetrain and equipment listed below. We know of 45 of them.

  • Decoded Jul 7, 2026
  • 45 known VINs
  • 1 listed for sale now

Factory specification

As filed by Chevrolet with NHTSA for this build. Fields the filing does not record are left out entirely — a missing row means no recorded value, not a missing feature.

Engine

Displacement
1.4 L
Cylinders
4
Engine model
LUV - MFI, Variable Valve Timing, ALUM, E85 MAX
Engine manufacturer
GME
Valve train
Dual Overhead Cam (DOHC)
Turbocharged
Yes
Fuel type
Gasoline

Drivetrain

Drive type
Front-wheel drive
Transmission
Manual/Standard

Body & chassis

Body class
Sedan/Saloon
NHTSA body type
PASSENGER CAR
Doors
4
Seats
5
Seat rows
2
Manufacturer
GENERAL MOTORS LLC

Weight rating

GVWR class
Class 1
GVWR
6,000 lb or less

Gross vehicle weight rating is the loaded ceiling set by the manufacturer, not the car's own weight.

Driver assistance, as built

  • Forward collision warning Optional
  • Lane departure warning Optional

Systems the filing does not record are not listed above. Check the window sticker of the exact car before you rely on any single feature.

The same build, other model years

Chevrolet used the VIN pattern 1G1JC5SB for 8 model years. Nothing but the year changes between these pages, so the price gap between them is depreciation on an identical car.

$4,900 2012 $5,995 2013 $5,500 2014 $7,900 2015 $6,995 2016

How this VIN pattern is read

A 17-character VIN carries two kinds of information: what was built, and which one it is. This page is the first kind — the nine highlighted positions.

Positions Characters What they encode
1–3 1G1 GENERAL MOTORS LLC · World manufacturer identifier
4–8 JC5SB Model, body style, engine and restraint system
9 × Check digit — computed per vehicle, not part of the build
10 J Model year — 2018
11 × Assembly plant
12–17 ×××××× Production sequence number, unique to each vehicle

NHTSA safety ratings

Crash-test results are published per model year and body style, so they cover the 2018 Chevrolet Sonic as a whole rather than this build alone.

Overall

★★★★★ 5 / 5

Frontal crash

★★★★★ 5 / 5

Side crash

★★★★★ 5 / 5

Rollover

★★★★ ★ 4 / 5

1 recall campaign is recorded for the 2018 Sonic. Recalls are issued per VIN range — check the VIN of the car you are looking at, not the model.

45 vehicles carry this build

Every VIN we have decoded to 1G1JC5SB-J shares the specification above.

  • 45 Known VINs
  • 1 Listed for sale now

Neighboring configurations

Other factory configurations of the Sonic, each with its own build sheet. The set is fixed by the VIN patterns themselves, so it does not shuffle as prices or inventory move.

Keep going

Where this data comes from

Specification fields are decoded from the manufacturer's filings in the NHTSA vPIC database, keyed on VIN positions 1–8 and 10. We publish the filed values as they stand and leave out anything the filing does not record.

Vehicle counts come from the 45 VINs of this build we have seen in dealer inventory. They are a sample of the road population, not a production figure.